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Relevance of confidentiality in counseling
Relevance of confidentiality in counseling
Relevance of confidentiality in counseling
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Recommended: Relevance of confidentiality in counseling
Confidentiality and privileged communication are two terms that are crucial components in the counseling profession. Both clients and counselors rely on these as the foundation of the rules that each will rely on and abide by once a working relationship is formed. A client may “reveal information and emotions that are potentially embarrassing or damaging to their reputation” (Stevens & Smith, pg. 32). Privileged communication is the actual things a client may tell a counselor. Any communication between a client and counselor is considered a “privileged communication the counselor is protected by law from having to reveal what the client told them” (Nugent & Jones, pg. 25). Confidentiality is what allows the client to be honest and open with
Mandatory ethics is the level of functioning where the counselor is abiding by the basic “do’s and don’ts” of professional counseling. These are definitive codes that will protect a counselor from legal action and professional censure. All mental health professionals will be held accountable by the minimum standards set by state licensure boards and courts of law. Issues addressed by the Code of Conduct of the American Psychological Association (APA) include, but are not limited to, competence, human relations, confidentiality and fees. (American Psychological Association, 2002)
There are a number of problems that present in modern practice that can significantly affect or compromise confidential client information. Primarily, these types of problems are usually categorized as belonging into one of two areas of violation that provide unauthorized access to confidential information. The first area of disturbance of confidentiality occurs when the professional boundaries of the client-therapist relationship are breached, such as when practitioners partake in multiple relationships or decide to access public information about a patient online.
Counselors must inform the parents and legal guardians about confidentiality as it applies to the minor 's counseling sessions and work toward establishing a collaborative relationship with the parents (ACA, 2005, Standard B.5.b). Under the federal and state laws, counselors must protect confidentiality. “When information must be released, the parent must be notified. Additionally, the minor should receive an explanation suitable for their developmental ability to understand why their confidentiality is being breached” (ACA, 2005, Standard B.5.c.). Under Standard A.2.a., Clients have the right for informed consent and the freedom to decide to enter and remain in therapy after understanding their rights and responsibilities as well as the responsibilities of the counselor (ACA, 2005). “Counselors must respect clients ' right to privacy unless they disclose an intention to harm self or others or when the client discloses they have a communicable and life-threatening disease (Standard B.1.b., Standard B.1.c., & Standard
Over the course of their therapeutic relationship, Dr. Davenport violates client confidentiality as it is described by the American Counseling
The American Counseling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics (2014) states that counselors must respect a client’s confidentiality and can only disclose information about a client if there is a signed consent, legal requirement, or ethical requirement. A counselor must explain confidentiality to the client in a manner that the client will understand. The counselor must also explain the limits to confidentiality such as “serious and foreseeable harm and legal requirements” (ACA, 2014, p. 7). If a client identifies the desire to hurt themselves or someone else during a counseling session, then the counselor can break confidentiality to report to authorities. The ACA Code of Ethics (2014) suggests that a counselor consult with other professionals
Corey, G., Corey, M.S. & Callahan, P. (2007). Confidentiality: Ethical and legal issues. In Brooks/Cole (8th Ed.), Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions pp. 208-264.
A counselor should always keep their thoughts to themselves and remain open-minded about the situation. The only time a counselor should share their thoughts is if it helps the client with their situation that they are dealing with. “Counselors must practice only within the boundaries of their competence (Standard C.2.a.), and, if they “determine an inability to be of professional assistance to clients” (Standard A.11.b.), they should facilitate a referral to another provider. (Kocet, M. M., & Herlihy, B. J. (2014). Addressing Value-Based Conflicts Within the Counseling Relationship: A Decision-Making Model. Journal Of Counseling & Development, 92(2), 180-186 7p. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6676.2014.00146.x).” Keeping your thoughts to yourself is
Ethical issues in a counseling practice lay the foundation of a therapist in practice. Ethics are at the center of how the counseling process functions and operates in a successful manner for the clients who seek help in such a setting. In order for the counseling profession to be ethical and hold professional recognition, there are many facets that need to be examined and outlined to make sure all counselors and practitioners are functioning at the highest level and withholding their duties required by the counseling profession. The first introduction so to speak of the area of ethics also happens to be one of the first steps in counseling, which is the informed consent. The informed consent provides the basis of what happens or will be happening in a counseling setting and serves to inform the client to their rights, responsibilities, and what to expect. Most importantly, the informed consent is in place for the client’s benefit. It also is important to understand that culture and environment play a role in the treatment of a client and how theories can positively or negatively impact this treatment. Therapists need to understand how to work within the context of a theory while being able to understand the individual in their own environment. Although theories are put into place to serve as a framework, there are also alternative ways to approach counseling, one example being evidence-based practice. Such an approach is very specific, which presents a series of solutions for counseling as a whole, but also brings forth many problems. Every approach or theory introduces ethical concerns that need to be taken into consideration by the entire counseling community and how each can positively and negatively affect clients and the pr...
Confidentiality. Confidentiality is just as important in Christian counseling as it is in secular counseling. According to the American Association of Christian Counselors (2014), “confidentiality recognizes that every client has a fundamental, moral and legal right to privacy and to have a wide range of personal thoughts, opinions, beliefs, and behaviors that are protected from public knowledge” (p. 22). It is crucial for counselors to maintain client confidentiality unless what a client discloses brings harm to themselves or other people. Confidentiality should be kept at all
The purpose of Ethical standards in counseling, is to safeguard the integrity of both the clients and counselor relationships, while respecting the uniqueness, of cultural values and diversity (Remley & Herlihy, 2016). However, in group counseling, some of these ethical standards may have some variations that differ from those of individual counseling. As in both individual counseling and group counseling the effectiveness in obtaining a valid informed consent, depends upon the therapists and the extent of their training, experience, and sound judgement in conveying all necessary information to the clients who will participate in the counseling.
The first research article I read for this assignment was Congruence of Counselor Self-Disclosure and Perceived Effectiveness by Scott J. Nyman, and Timothy K. Daugherty. This journal article documents an empirical study conducted by Scott Nyman and Timothy Daugherty examining the effect of counselor self-disclosure on the relationship between counselor and client.
Confidentiality is a common controversy today when deciding if therapist should keep their patients confidential when they have made any kind of threat. Confidentiality should be breached in this instance. One main reason that threats should be taken more seriously from mental patients is the Tarasoff case.
Counselors should be able to recognize their boundaries of their particular competencies and limitations of their expertise (ACA Code of Ethics, 2015). This concern plays into the issue of over-diagnosing or under-diagnosing individuals mentioned previously. Mental health counselors have a responsibility to maintain high standards of professional conduct (ACA Code of Ethics, 2015). If the ability to maintain high standards cannot be successfully met, then the practice of unethical behaviors will exist. Likewise, if a counselor needs assistance inappropriately helping an individual, consulting with a colleague is highly recommended to ensure that high standard of professionalism is present at all times. The code of ethics relates to this topic of mental health disparities because it addresses the many cultural concerns evident in today’s society and addresses the level of standards each client should
The use of active listening is an essential skill to achieve this type of relationship as well as a sensitivity for clients who come from a culture different than the counselor’s culture. Great counseling also includes being honest with the client from the first session where informed consent is provided. It is important to discuss the limitations of confidentiality. Another important factor is to guide the client into setting realistic goals, so the counseling sessions can be more
The counseling session began with the introductions where I introduced myself as the counselor and later introduced my client. This stage is important in any counseling session since it is the time of exploration and focusing according to Gerard Egan as quoted by Wright (1998) in his essay on couselling skills. It is in this session that I was able to establish rapport and trust with my client in order to come up with a working and fruitful relationship with him. During this stage I made use of skills like questioning, where I would pose a question directly to my client, sometimes I would choose to just listen to what the client wanted to speak out while in some instances I would be forced to paraphrase the question if I felt the client did not understand the question I had asked previously. There were also other times when I would reflect through silence. During such a period, I got time to study the client and the information he had given. This being a difficult area, since some clients may not be able to volunteer information to you as the counselor, I decided to assure the client of confidentiality of any information he was willing to share with me with a few exceptions which I also told him about. Being open to him about the only times the information may not be confidential was part of my building rapport and establishing trust with him. I therefore, decided to ask the client what information he wanted to share with me and lucky enough he was ready to speak to me about different issues that he was going through.